Kathryn Pitkin Derose

Historicamente, las organizaciones basadas en la fe (OBF) han desempenado una funcion importante en la prestacion de servicios sociales y de salud en paises en desarrollo; sin embargo, poco se ha investigado sobre su papel en la prevencion y la atencion del VIH, particularmente en America Latina. Este trabajo describe la participacion de las OBF en el abordaje de la epidemia del VIH/sida en Belice, Guatemala y Honduras. Los autores describen la variedad de actividades que desarrollan las OBF, y analizan las ventajas y los desafios de dicha participacion, asi como las posibles acciones que las OBF pueden adoptar para mejorar su labor, tanto en forma independiente como en colaboracion con otras organizaciones, tales como los ministerios de salud.

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have historically played an important role in delivering health and social services in developing countries; however, little research has been done on their role in HIV prevention and care, particularly in Latin America. This title describes FBO involvement in HIV/AIDS in three Central American countries hard hit by this epidemic: Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. The authors discuss the range of FBO activities and assess the implications of FBO involvement in addressing HIV/AIDS, such as churches' diverse presence and extensive reach, the unwillingness of some FBOs to discuss condom use, and their lack of experience in evaluating the impact of programs. A Spanish translation of this report is also available.

The first phase of this study used a variety of approaches to assess the health care needs of California prisoners upon their release, the geographic distribution of state prisoners who return to local communities, and the health care services that are available in these communities to provide policymakers with a picture of communities' capacity to meet the needs of parolees and other underserved populations.

An evaluation of a project to improve access to health care for the uninsured and underserved in Miami-Dade County, Florida; An evaluation of Community Voices Miami (CVM), a project aimed at enhancing health care access and quality for the underserved in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The report concludes that CVM affected intermediate outcomes--raising awareness of issues, getting safety-net providers to collaborate, nurturing neighborhood-based solutions, and advocating for establishment of an independent health care planning body; but measurement of ultimate outcomes--access to health care--remains for future study.